The present invention is directed toward a door panel comprising two multi-component doorskin subassemblies and a method of assembling same, and more specifically, toward a door panel comprising a plurality of folded metal elements permanently interconnected to form first and second doorskins, which doorskins are attached to stile and rail members, and a method of assembling same.
Traditional wooden doors are formed from two vertical, parallel members called stiles connected at their top and bottom ends by two horizontal members called rails. One or more central panels are then connected between the stiles and rails to form a door. In a newer method of forming a door a frame of stiles and rails is provided, and first and second doorskins are attached to the outer faces of the frame. This method requires less labor and provides a hollow door interior that can be filled with insulation. In order to give the appearance of a traditional door, the doorskins are often formed with a contoured inner section and a smooth periphery that resemble interconnected rails and stiles.
Light weight metal door panels such as those used for storm doors or screen doors are often formed from first and second metal doorskins mounted on opposite sides of parallel stiles. The stiles are generally wooden, and hinges can be attached to one stile (the hinge stile) and a handle and/or latch to the other stile (the latch or strike stile) to form a door panel. For typical doors of this type, the upper halves of the center portions of the doorskins may be cut out to receive a lite such as a windowpane or a screen. In other door panels, substantially all the center portions of the doorskins are removed to accommodate a larger lite. Formed in this manner, the doorskins have a smooth outer finish and do not provide the appearance of a door formed with rails and stiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,585 shows one attempt to form a metal door that appears to be formed of rails and stiles. In this patent, a wooden frame is provided, and a metal covering or cladding is attached to the wooden frame. The cladding is formed from a number of separate elements that are interconnected in a temporary manner and attached to the wooden frame. Foam insulation is then injected into the temporary assembly to permanently secure all the elements. While this reference provides a door with a satisfactory appearance, it is unnecessarily difficult to assemble, and its individual elements must be carefully aligned while they are being joined. Moreover, because the elements that form the doorskins are not held together in a permanent manner until the finished assembly is filled with foam insulation, the doorskins may fall apart if handled roughly or stored and manipulated extensively before they are used in a door panel.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a metal door panel having interconnected stile and rail elements that is easy to manufacture and that does not need to be filled with foam insulation in order to permanently secure all its elements.
These and other problems are overcome by the present invention which comprises a door panel having first and second stiles to which are mounted first and second doorskins formed from interconnected, preferably metal, elements. The elements that overlay the stiles each include a longitudinally extending flange along a first edge while the rail elements that connect the stile elements include grooves for receiving the stile element flanges. Advantageously, the flange-in-groove connection helps keep the elements aligned while they are being assembled and, when the connection is pierced by a sharp tool, also provides a very secure joint.
In a preferred embodiment, the stile elements each include a longitudinally extending L-shaped projection along a second edge parallel to the flange, the short leg of the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d engaging the longitudinal slot in a stile to secure the doorskin to the stile. The longitudinal grooves of the rail elements are formed inwardly from the end edges of the rail elements so that an end portion of the rail element overlies a portion of the stile element when the stile flange is received in the rail element groove. The groove includes an inner leg disposed toward the middle of the rail element and an outer leg that is shorter than the inner leg by an amount equal to the thickness of the stile element. In this manner, when the stile element flange is received in the rail element groove, the face of the stile element opposite the flange and the face of the rail element opposite the groove will be substantially coplanar.
After the stile element flanges are received in the rail element grooves, the grooves are pierced by a sharp tool to drive a portion of the groove inner leg against and preferably through the flange and into the outer leg of the groove. This forms a permanent connection between the rail elements and stile elements. Because the rail and stile elements of the doorskins are permanently connected in this manner, the doorskins can be preassembled and stored indefinitely until they are needed for a door assembly and are structurally sound at this stage of manufacture, before they are incorporated into a door panel filled with insulating material, as was necessary to permanently bond the doorskin elements together in the prior art.
Once two doors skin have been formed, the short legs of the L-shaped projections on the stile elements are inserted into longitudinal slots on parallel stiles and secured thereto to form a door. Rails may also be added to connect the stiles, and a lite frame may be provided at the center part of the door to hold a window or screen. The door can also, optionally, be filled with foam insulation.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a door panel comprising a doorskin formed from a plurality of interconnected elements.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of assembling a doorskin by permanently interconnecting a plurality of metal elements.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a door panel comprising a doorskin formed from permanently interconnected stile elements and rail elements.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a doorskin formed from stile elements having flanges and rail elements having grooves wherein the stile element flanges are received and retained within the rail element grooves.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a doorskin formed from stile elements and rail element configured to be easily alignable during an assembly process.
In furtherance of these objects, a door assembly is provided that includes a hinge stile and a latch stile each having a longitudinal groove, and first and second doorskin assemblies each having a central opening connected to opposite sides of the hinge stile and the latch stile, wherein each of the doorskin assemblies is formed from first and second stile elements and first and second rail elements connected between the first and second stile elements. The first and second stile elements each have a first side including an integrally formed L-shaped projection and a second side including a flange having first and second ends, and the first and second rail elements each comprise a planar body portion and a first end having a first edge and a second end having a second edge and a first U-shaped projection defining a groove and extending from the first end near the first edge and a second U-shaped projection defining a groove and extending from the second end near the second edge. The first end of the first stile element flange is received in the first rail element first end groove and permanently secured thereto by piercing and the first end of the second stile element flange is received in the first rail element second end groove and permanently secured thereto by piercing, and the first U-shaped projection includes an inner leg having a first length and an outer leg having a second length less than the first length.
A method of forming a door assembly is also disclosed that includes the steps of providing a first stile element having a first side including an L-shaped projection and a second side including a flange having a first end and a second end; providing a top rail element having a planar central portion and first and second ends each having a narrow groove; inserting the first end of the first stile element flange first end into the first rail element first end narrow groove; piercing the first rail element groove to drive a portion of the wall defining the groove into the,first stile element flange first end in the groove; providing a bottom rail element having a planar central portion and first and second ends each having a narrow groove; inserting the second end of the first stile element into the bottom rail element first end narrow groove; piercing the bottom rail element groove to drive a portion of the wall defining the groove into the first stile element flange second end in the groove; providing a second stile element having a first side including an L-shaped projection and a second side including a flange having a first end and a second end; placing the first end of the second stile element flange in the top rail element second groove; placing the second end of the second stile element flange in the bottom rail element second groove; piercing the second rail element groove to drive a portion of the wall defining the groove into the second stile element first end flange in the groove; piercing the second stile element groove to drive a portion of the wall defining the groove into the second stile element flange second end in the groove; attaching a latch stile to the first stile element L-shaped projection; attaching a hinge stile to the second stile element L-shaped projection; and attaching a doorskin to the latch stile and the hinge stile.